Imam al-Ghazali, 'alayhi ar-Rahman w'al-Ridwan, on Intention, Sincerity & Truthfulness, [''Kitab al-Niyya w'al Ikhlas w'al Siddiq,'' ] is the
thirty-seventh chapter of the Revival of the Religious Sciences. It
falls in the section dealing with the virtues.

Here Imam al-Ghazali, may Allah be pleased with him, deals with
the very important subject of intention which is of crucial importance
in Islam. He asks: 'How can someone ignorant of the meaning of intention
verify his own intention; or how can someone ignorant of the meaning of
sincerity verify his own sincerity; or how can someone sincerely claim
truthfulness if he has not verified its meaning?'

In the Book of
Intention, Sincerity & Truthfulness, al-Ghazali, may Allah be pleased with him, gives a response to
each of these questions by expounding the reality and levels of
intention, sincerity and truthfulness, those acts which affirm them and
those acts which mar them.

As in all his writings, Imam Ghazali bases his
arguments on the Qur'an, the example of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the sayings of
numerous scholars and Sufis.

Table of Contents :

---Chapter [I] : Reality of intention,---Chapter [II] : Inner meaning of the Prophet’s words: ‘The intention of the believer is better than his deed’---Chapter [III] : Explanation of the acts attached to intention,---Chapter [IV] : Intention is not subsumed by free choice,---Chapter [V] : Excellence of sincerity,---Chapter [VI] : Reality of sincerity,---Chapter [VII] : The Great Masters’ sayings on sincerity,---Chapter [VIII] : Levels of blemishes and flaws clouding sincerity,---Chapter [IX] : Judgement on the tarnished act and worthiness of the reward for it,---Chapter [X] : The Excellence of Truthfulness,---Chapter [XI] : The Reality of Truthfulness, Its Meaning and Levels.